Cholesterol drugs: bully alert!

I sometimes think of the difference between pharmaceutical drugs and natural medicine as the difference between, on the one hand, bullying the biochemistry of the body into so-called ‘proper’ behaviour and, on the other, nurturing the biochemistry of the body into harmony and alignment. If you are in a life-threatening situation, some well-managed bullying may be appropriate to bring your body’s biochemistry back under control quickly. But as a long term solution? Give me nurturing any day!

The question of how to treat high cholesterol is a good example.

If your cholesterol is high a doctor is likely to prescribe you a drug that forces your body to produce less cholesterol (e.g., statin drugs). Cholesterol, however, is in fact a soothing, healing substance that is naturally produced by the liver to clean and repair the cardiovascular system. Therefore the cholesterol itself is not the problem (unless it builds to the point where it’s physically clogging the arteries). The real problem is that your cardiovascular system is under stress – either through oxidation, toxins or pH imbalances in your blood – and as a natural consequence your body has increased its production of cholesterol to heal the stress.

Normally once the cholesterol does its work and heals the area, your body will stop producing cholesterol in large quantities and your levels will drop. However, if the state of stress is chronic – i.e., occurring continuously over a long period of time – the body’s cholesterol production never abates, and eventually the cholesterol builds up, hardens and can indeed block the flow of blood through your arteries.

Using a pharmaceutical drug to inhibit your body from producing cholesterol will indeed lower cholesterol, but it will not address the real problem. At Natural Pain Solutions, we use tests to identify the specific internal stresses, deficiencies and imbalances that are causing your body to increase its production of cholesterol in the first place. We then assist your body to heal these stresses, deficiencies and imbalances by providing it with the nutrients our tests indicate it needs, and by helping you to implement certain dietary and lifestyle changes. Once the root causes of oxidation, toxins and/or pH imbalance are corrected, your body realises that high production of cholesterol is no longer required, and so your cholesterol levels naturally decrease.

In creating a healthy internal ecosystem, it’s always better find and fix the cause of any problems, rather than use drugs to force your body’s biochemistry to behave differently. Just like in the playground, there’s really no need for bullying.